Re: Raised Bed Ideas
Marc,
I have raised my entire garden by 1'. I double-dug the entire 40 x 45' area
by removing the first foot of good topsoil in a swath 3-4' wide at a time
and placing it to the side. I then turn over the next foot of clay and/or
hardpan. Add 1' of compost or manure or shredded organic debris. Recover
with the soil layed to side. Repeat the procedure over entire patch. I then
add ammendments on top 4" compost and till. I like to also add course sand
or pea gravel 2" on top and till. Result: A 1' raised area with good
drainage (I'm on somewhat of a hill). Best soil results I've ever had with
23% OM from UMASS lab. A lot of work but cheap and I like it! E-mail me if
any questions. Don
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marc Levy" <marc@levy.ca>
To: <pumpkins@hort.net>
Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 10:01 PM
Subject: Raised Bed Ideas
> Hi List,
>
> I am looking for a cheap way to build a bit of a raised bed for my
> garden/patch. I've thought of a whole bunch of ways it could be done, but
> all of them seem to cost a bit too much or involve treated lumber, which
> I'm trying to avoid.
> Most of the area is more or less level, but the two sides along a fence
> have a bit more of a dip, maybe 8-12" over 5 or 6 feet (you can check my
> diary, "crammed" on BigPumpkins.com). What I'd like to do is even out the
> entire area and raise it just a bit to accommodate the addition of a
couple
> of yards of material (mostly soil with some compost and manure). For my
> area, one yard will cover everything by about an inch. Obviously the area
> with the dip will need to be raised up more to meet the higher areas.
> I wanted to use 4x4's, but I couldn't find any that were not pressure
> treated. Same with garden mini-ties. I thought of using something like
> short wooden stakes to hold up 1x4 or 1x6. This might be a good temporary
> solution until I can put in some nicer, beefier lumber.
> I also have a problem with rabbits. Or, at least we have rabbits around
> and I'd like to avoid having a problem with them. So, I'd like whatever
> material I use to raise the bed to be buried a bit to discourage, if not
> prevent, digging. I have already bought some chicken wire and long stakes
> to put it up. So, I might be able to bury some of that to serve the same
> purpose. But, I can't bury it so much that the remaining height of the
> fence will allow the critter to jump over.
> Any good ideas on how to do this? Any advice would be great. You can
> email me privately if you like. Thanks.
>
> Marc
>
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